Cardiff University Innovation Campus Photography for Acheson + Glover

Cardiff University Innovation Campus is a hub for connection and collaboration. It provides an environment that fosters creativity and transforms research into tangible outcomes, such as start-ups, spin-outs, social enterprises, partnerships, and products.

The campus comprises of two dedicated centres, namely sbarc | spark, which houses SPARK, the world's first social science research park, and Cardiff Innovations@sbarc, a dynamic space for societal-aligned start-ups, spin-outs, and partnerships.

Adjacent to sbarc | spark is the Translational Research Hub, which houses two leading scientific research establishments - the Institute for Compound Semiconductors and Cardiff Catalysis Institute. These facilities complement the wider Maindy Road estate, which features the Optometry building, opened in 2008, and the Hadyn Ellis research center, which brought together experts in schizophrenia, Alzheimer's disease, and stem cell cancer research for the first time in 2013. The Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre, one of Europe's flagship facilities for brain research imaging, was launched in 2016.

The innovation campus at Cardiff University received a significant investment of £300m, solidifying its role as a hub of innovation and contributing to the city-region's landscape. BDP Architects prioritised innovation when choosing products and selected AG's Plaza paving due to its high quality and versatility. The paving is crafted with granite and quartz aggregates and comes in a variety of colours and sizes, making it an ideal choice for creating innovative hard landscaping designs for large urban projects that require both style and durability.

Bouygues UK Limited partnered with Cardiff University to develop the new buildings located at Maindy Park in the heart of Cardiff.

I spent a day photographing the newly completed installation of the hard landscaping outside and between the two dedicated centres for Acheson + Glover’s website and social media channels.